The young girl left in a critical condition after being mistakenly shot by a suspected gangland hitman was visiting relatives in London on her half-term holiday.
The girl, from Birmingham, was still in hospital on Friday after a bullet struck her as she ate at Evin restaurant, in Hackney, north-east London, on Wednesday evening.
Her family moved to Birmingham two years ago, and their relatives in Kerala, southern India, told the Guardian of their anguish.
Three men who were sitting outside the restaurant were wounded, with police now deploying extra armed patrols to try to deter any reprisals or escalation.
A man on a motorbike fired at least four shots, and detectives believe it was a “targeted” attack requiring a “significant effort” to carry out.
The volley of shots believed to be aimed at an outside table included one bullet that passed through the front of the restaurant and struck the child, who had been “very lively” and happy as she and her family ate at the popular Turkish restaurant.
Her family are understood to have been visiting friends and relatives in London from their Birmingham home. Family members in India’s Kerala state said they were praying for her in their coastal village near the city of Kochi.
The child’s uncle said her family had moved to Birmingham to work as IT professionals. He added that the seriousness of her injuries had been initially kept from her grandmother.
He said: “We told her it was a minor injury, keeping her even away from local television channels, which are beaming up the news. She had an emotional connection with the girl, and they conveyed it over the phone at least every alternate day.”
The family said the girl had already undergone one operation to save her life and that another might be needed. A special church service in the village was to take place on Saturday morning for the girl, who police said on Thursday was nine years old, but who relatives said was 10.
Police are keeping an open mind as to the motive, but one theory being examined, which is supported by sources in the community, is that the shooting was linked to a gang feud.
Another theory is that it could have been a feud within a group, or a personal dispute, and detectives are trying to establish whether the adults shot were the intended target. One source said: “The police are concerned about retribution.”
Police have been checking intelligence databases relating to gangs and organised crime as they try to understand what happened in the buildup to the attack.
Another source said: “The fear is this won’t go unanswered.”
DCS James Conway, of the Metropolitan police, said: “This shocking attack will have had an element of pre-planning. This means there are people who will know something which may be crucial to our investigation.
“We are specifically reaching out to our Turkish and Kurdish communities, particularly in north and east London, who I know are shocked and appalled by this crime. This is because the three men who were shot have connections with these communities.”
Police said two of the injured men, who they now say are 44 and 42 years old, remained in hospital – with extra security, it is believed – and one had sustained life-changing injuries. A 37-year-old man had been discharged from hospital.
Police said the motorbike used in the shooting was a Ducati Monster, stolen in Wembley in 2021. The bike has a white body, red chassis and red wheels, and at 9.20pm on Wednesday, when the shooting took place, had the registration plate DP21OXY.
Police asked anyone with information about the bike’s whereabouts since 2021, or about the attack, to contact a dedicated incident room on 020 8345 3865 or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
